September 19, 2010
Kinky Friedman says a certain type of person is attracted to politics.
"Bad people are drawn to politics. Good people stay away," he said in a recent telephone interview. "I can't think of a single living politician who I respect or admire. I've advocated that we limit every elected official to two terms. One term in office and one term in prison."
Of course Friedman — who is coming to Santa Fe next week to sign books and push his new line of Honduran-made cigars at the grand opening of Monte's of Santa Fe, a new cigar shop — himself was drawn to politics.
He primarily was known as a singer of funny and aggressively politically incorrect country songs with a band called The Texas Jewboys, then later as a mystery writer whose main character was a wise-cracking amateur detective known as "Kinky Friedman."
In the mid-1980s, he campaigned for justice of the peace in Kerrville, Texas, as a Republican, but lost the election. A decade later, he gave establishment politicians a real scare when he ran as an independent for governor of Texas. He ended up in last place out of four candidates, but in an era in which celebrity candidates like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse "The Body" Ventura were winning governorships, Friedman's bid received much national attention.
"It's like I told people when I was running, 'Do you want a governor who can tell a joke or a governor who is a joke?' " he said — soon after telling a hilariously filthy joke he credited to his friend Willie Nelson.
Friedman made another stab at electoral politics this year, running for Texas agriculture commissioner — this time as a Democrat. But he lost in the primary.
"No, I think I'm pretty much done with politics," he said. "It feels really good to speak your mind and tell the truth. It's a giant step down from musician to politician."
Friedman said he voted for Barack Obama in 2008 — but with misgivings that he said have since been proven correct. "I see the same symptoms in Obama that I do in (Texas Gov.) Rick Perry. They think first of themselves, secondly about their party and maybe thirdly or fourthly about the people. ... Obama's reaction (to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico) showed how weak he is, how small a spirit he has. He doesn't really want to be president of all the people. He'll never be a man of the people. He doesn't want to be one."
So who does the Kinkster like on the current political scene?
"I think the tea party has the spirit that the Democrats used to have. Back when we used to have (former Texas Gov.) Ann Richards, (former U.S. Rep.) Barbara Jordan and (columnist) Molly Ivins," he said, naming three deceased liberal Texas women who normally aren't listed among tea party heroines. "That's when Democrats had some balls. Barbara Jordan, the Constitution was her Bible, just like the tea party. Now if you mention the Constitution to the Democrats, they'll tune you out."
Friedman, who opposes the death penalty and supports gay marriage, admits he's more liberal on some issues than the tea party. "But I like their spirit," he said. "I like where they're coming from and I can't believe the Democrats couldn't incorporate some of that instead of mocking them and calling them racists. That's the furthest thing from the truth. ... All the tea party really wants to do is get rid of these bastards, get 'em out of there and get the government out of our lives."
In the early 1970s, Friedman made a name for himself singing irreverent songs designed to outrage the prudes, the prissy and the politically correct.
Feminists blasted him for "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed." Those who don't think mass murders should be taken lightly cringed at "The Ballad of Charles Whitman," an upbeat ode to the gunman who in 1966 killed 10 people from the University of Texas Bell Tower. And his song "They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore" had enough racial slurs to offend just about everyone.
So given Friedman's deep-seated belief in freedom of speech and his well-known willingness to court controversy, many were surprised in 1999 when he re-recorded that song — which is about a big-mouth bigot getting his comeuppance — and conspicuously left out one of the major racial epithets.
"The producer did that," he said. "You know one of the things that Barbara Jordan warned against was political correctness. It's really strangling our country. That's really come to pass. Today people who use the 'N-word' aren't necessarily racists. And those who don't use it aren't necessarily not racists. In the current atmosphere today, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Mel Brookes' Blazing Saddles never would have made it."
Politically correct censorship goes hand in hand with another one of Kinky's pet peeves: smoking bans in bars and restaurants. Both, he said, can be partly blamed on "these hall monitors growing up to be politicians."
That goes for anti-gambling forces in Texas, too. "We don't even have legalized gambling in Texas," he said. "We invented Texas Hold 'Em and we can't even play it."
Friedman's not sure whether he'll be singing any songs at the Monte's cigar shop opening in Santa Fe. But he will be selling a couple of his recent books — What Would Kinky Do? How to Unscrew a Screwed Up World (2008) and Heroes of a Texas Childhood (2009).
"I'll sign books. I'll sign CDs. I'll sign anything but bad legislation," he said.
IF YOU GO
What: Kinky Friedman, singer/songwriter/author/politician/cigar mogul
What: Book signing, meet-and-greet
Where: Monte's of Santa Fe, 328 Sandoval St.
When: 2-4 p.m. Sept. 26
Admission: Free
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